The Children’s Diabetes Centre welcomes a new Federal Government initiative to support children with Type 1 Diabetes in schools.
The two-year $6 million schools education and training program will be implemented at every school with a student with Type 1 Diabetes and will make it easier for teachers and school staff to support children with the disease.
The nationally consistent program will cover the safe administration of insulin, hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose level) identification and management, and “normalising” diabetes in schools.
Children’s Diabetes Centre co-director Professor Liz Davis said the announcement was good news for families living with Type 1 Diabetes.
“Maintaining regular diabetes management during the school day is critical to short and long-term outcomes,” she said.
“In the short to medium term, inadequate management of diabetes can negatively impact on a child’s ability to learn and, in the long term, persistently high blood glucose levels increase the risk of diabetes complications such as eye, nerve and kidney damage.
“We hope the program will take some of the burden of diabetes management off parents and give them peace of mind that their child is safe at school.”
The Type 1 Diabetes Management in Schools program will be designed and delivered by Diabetes Australia, through the National Diabetes Services Scheme. It is supported by an alliance of the key national health professional and consumer diabetes organisations including the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, the Australian Diabetes Society, the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group and JDRF Australia.